The Scary Month
“I have said this to you, so that in me you may have peace. In the world you face persecution. But take courage; I have conquered the world!”
It is October 2nd, and the beginning of the month of Halloween. It is the one month a year when Jill and I watch scary movies. We watch the Scream series, some of the Halloween series, the Omen series, the Friday the 13th series, and, of course, The Exorcist (only the original). I don’t have time to name all the other great movies like Rosemary’s Baby and Amityville Horror. Jill and I are not alone in our enjoyment of getting scared and cheering for the innocent to survive against evil. Horror movies are the most profitable genre in the industry.
Scary movies are so popular because it is easy to distinguish between good and evil. It helps when eerie music plays as the villain enters. In real life, the difference between good and evil is blurred. The complexity of real life leaves us all feeling that evil is present but wily, and none of us are good enough to address the scary situations around us.. We see the world’s evil in its brutality and injustice. We see that society’s evils do not get resolved in 120 minutes.
Another reason why so many people love scary movies is that they allow us to contemplate frightening evil with enough distance to feel scared yet safe. Many of us wonder how we would respond in the midst of evil, or what bit of evil may reside within us. Would we fight and potentially live, or give up and let the evil destroy us? These movies help us face our fears in a secure setting.
Today, whether or not you watch a scary movie this month, pray for God to reassure you that God’s divine care is far greater than any evil. Prayerfully contemplate why there is evil in this world, and what we can learn from evil’s influence. Finally, do not ever consider evil without ending your thoughts with an affirmation of God’s Almighty, omnipotent power. Evil may occasionally win a battle, but God’s apocalyptic victory will ultimately win the war, for all eternity. Only our God can say, “I have conquered the world.”
